Monday, June 15, 2009

Punct this

It has been brought to my attention that I do not use punctuation. I realize that this may make some people upset and unable to concentrate on what I am actually saying. I also understand and admit freely that I do not understand or really even care about rules. Especially rules about dots dashes and silly little marks that try to confine words into a scientifically diagrammable construct. Piss on that.
I like my words to flow unimpeded from my brain to the page, without speed-bumps and hindrances. Its hard enough for me to get them out and on to the page without worrying about the weird old biddy in 9Th grade who mumbled around her false teeth trying to impart the importance of punctuation, the only thing she imparted to me was how hard it is to read the lips of someone who has no teeth and refuses to use denture glue.
I started out in college as an English Major, that lasted One quarter. I could not, can not, will not bend my slowly solidifying mind around something so petty. So I switched to Anthropology, the study of the weird ass rules that people make and follow called culture. The weirdest thing of all, is that some things are only "right" because the majority in a particular culture decides through some mystical cabal what is or is not "kosher".
Punctuation is one of those things that has changed a lot over the years. Shakespeare used it much differently than Tom Wolfe, and Hunter S. Thompson had a very distinctive style. I predict, in spite of the popular book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves (which I read, and enjoyed) that punctuation will continue to evolve and progress. Until one day it catches up with me.

2 comments:

KMW said...

LOL. I love your definition of Anthropology.

Tuiasoa said...

This is great. As an English major turned Film School Dropout, I could not agree with you more!